What to See




The country's summer shade destination. Da Lat is a cool mountain hide out surrounded by tribal minorities.

Cool highland escape from Saigon's heat

Da Lat is the honeymoon capital of Vietnam. It is a romantic French Provincial town snuggled into the cool hills of Southeast Asia.

Detailed day-by-day weather records are not available for Da Lat, but the temperature in the city is consistent throughout the summer months: lows drop into the upper 50's and highs rarely climb past 78F degrees. This means that Da Lat is often cooler at the hottest point of the day than Saigon gets at the coolest point of the night. Rain is regular and plentiful.

The city is filled with enchanting spots. Three lakes grace the city. Xuan Huong Lake extends directly into the downtown area and is dotted with villas and cafes. Dan Thein Lake and Chien Thang Lake are both just a couple of miles from downtown. Legends about lovers who came to sad ends surround the lakes. Da Lat has a lot to offer the average site seer. The city has temples and pagodas (some still actively used as monasteries), villas and palaces, plenty of shopping, sidewalk cafes, and ethnic experiences.

Linh Son Pagoda is the oldest active monastery in the city. It is not quite half a mile from the center of Dalat. The pagoda was built in 1938 and has been managed by a series of monks, including Thich Tu Man, who has been at Linh Son since 1964. Linh Son's bronze Buddha was forged in 1952; it weighs about 2700 pounds. Da Lat's three palaces are referred to simply as Palace 1, Palace 2, and Palace 3. The palaces were all completed by the French, but only Palace 3 was a royal home. It was owned by the last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, Bao Dai. You can find it on Le Hong Phong Road, about a quarter of a mile southwest of Da Lat's central district. The palace is open to the public. Bao Dai was Vietnam's playboy emperor who disappeared into exile in France and Monaco after WWII. His family's living quarters are still decorated in yellow. Photographs of the emperor and his family still hang on the walls.

The flower gardens on the northeast end of Xuan Huong Lake provide one of the most relaxing settings in the city. There always the golf course; Emperor Bao Dai built it in the 1930's. Da Lat had Vietnam's first golf course and the only bent-grass course in Asia.

Even if you can't afford to sleep in them, the city's old luxury hotels are worth a visit. Novotel Dalat is located on the southwest end of Xuan Huong Lake. There's also Hotel Sofitel Dalat Palace, a five-star facility built in French Colonial style in 1922. Suites start at around $300 U.S. a night. If you're looking for history you can sleep in one of the rooms at the governor-general's old residence for about $35 a night. Some of the old French villas around the city can be had for as little as $15 or $20 a day.

For food, the town's Central Market includes traditional Vietnamese vendors. You can find everything from traditional Vietnamese fish and duck dishes to hard boiled quail eggs, snails, and baguettes. Of course, there are also noodle houses and more upscale restaurants. Try Anh Vo at 15 Trong Cong Dinh; the food is reportedly good and the staff can manage in both French and English.

Finally, no trip to Da Lat would be complete without a day trip to one of the tribal villages outside town. There are a number of options you can look into after you arrive.

But the best of Da Lat is available just by sitting in the cafes and watching life go by while you drink coffee, look out over the lake, feel the city's cool breeze on your face, and think about how hot you'd be if you were in Saigon...

Among the strangest belief systems on the face of the earth is the nationalistic syncretism of Vietnam's Cao Dai sect.